


golden: sunlight outtakes and deleted or alternate scenes

by tuesdead



Series: sunlight, moonlight, midnight [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:48:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29050917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuesdead/pseuds/tuesdead
Summary: what the title says. scenes from sunlight that were cut due to consistency errors, writer's block, etc.
Series: sunlight, moonlight, midnight [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131311
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> truthfully, I like a lot of these better than I like the posted versions; however, these scenes are often short because at the time, I was experiencing awful writer's block and I imagine I took the easy way out. I apologize.

Ten days before the eleventh anniversary of the disappearance of his son, the Yondaime Hokage sent his most trusted shinobi on a mission to the Land of Earth. It was meant to be a simple reconnaissance mission--get in, find the information about so-and-so’s whereabouts, and get out. He’d sent one of his fastest and stealthiest, one of his most reliable.

He’s regretting that decision now.

He’s regretting that decision, because ten days have passed and there’s still no sign of Kakashi. Ten days have passed, it’s the anniversary of Naruto’s disappearance, and Minato usually makes sure there aren’t missions that take Kakashi out of the village during the week of the anniversary. Kakashi was due back three days ago, but he’s still not back, and he _never_ misses a deadline by more than a day at the most.

Minato has a very bad feeling about the whole thing. The mission could have waited, he could have sent one of the other ANBU. Hell, why didn’t he send Weasel? Weasel’s very talented, surely Minato could have sent him, right?

“Cat. Find Kitsune.” He stands as the ANBU leaves, moving to stare out the window at the sunrise.

_Don’t be dead, Kakashi._

He’s not sure how long he stands there before there’s a soft knock on the door and Kitsune steps inside. “Hokage-sama?”

The mask’s vocal filter is turned off, and has been since--Minato guesses--Kitsune hit puberty. The boy is tall, almost as tall as Kakashi, and built like he’s always training. Every movement is graceful and purposeful, but never strained.

“I think Hound is in danger. He left for a mission ten days ago, and should have returned three days ago.”

Kitsune nods. “Where did you send him?”

Minato nods toward the map lying across his desk. “There’s a small village about two hours south of Iwa where Hound was supposed to track down one of the Tsuchikage’s favored shinobi and steal an itinerary. I’m concerned that he was caught. Usually, Hound isn’t to leave the village so close to the anniversary because he gets reckless, but with him, I was positive that he would make it back before then.”

Kitsune nods. “Obito’s out of the village right now, Hokage-sama. May I request back-up?”

“Of course, who do you want?”

Kitsune cocks his head for a moment before giving a firm nod. “Itachi and Shisui. I have the feeling the situation with the Uchiha clan isn’t going well and I’m hoping I can help with that by taking them with me. They’re loyal to you, Hokage-sama, but I’m worried about some of the Council Elders. If they demand something in the name of the Village, I’m worried that one or both of them will feel compelled to comply.”

Minato had been worried about that, too. “Yes, good. Thank you, Kitsune. Go as soon as possible.”

“Hai.”

With his next breath, the ANBU is gone and Minato is alone again.

_Please don’t be dead, Kakashi._

/

“You two.” Naruto stands above the two boys, watching them eat their lunches efficiently. It looks like they’ve been fighting, but Naruto isn’t sure if they were sparring with each other or somebody else. “You’re going on a mission with me.”

Itachi blinks up at him, and though he’s become very good at not expressing his emotions on his face, Naruto can still read them. Itachi’s surprised, and confused, but Naruto thinks he’s relieved, too.

Shisui, on the other hand, has not trusted him since before they first met.

That isn’t to say Naruto doesn’t like Shisui, because he does. Shisui has been a good friend to Itachi, who has always been soft-spoken and kind, and almost like a brother to the boy, whose own little brother wants nothing more than his family’s undivided attention.

He suppresses a sigh. Not only is Kakashi in danger, but it seems that Shisui wants to give him trouble. “Hokage-sama wants us to leave immediately, so pack your bags and meet me in thirty minutes. If you’re late, I will hunt you down, and you will have to answer to the Hokage.”

“Should I bring my mask, senpai?” Itachi asks, looking a little lost.

Naruto hums, cocking his head. “No, I don’t think it matters at this point, Itachi.”

When the two of them are gone a moment later, Naruto reaches for one of the storage scrolls inside his shuriken pouch and starts inventory on the supplies he has with him. They should be good enough for a week long trip, but he decides to stop at a few shops before meeting with the two Uchiha

**You’re worried.**

Naruto frowns, perching at the top of Konoha’s gates. _Of course I’m worried, Kurama. Tou-san said Kakashi’s in danger. What if we’re not fast enough to help him?_

**Do you really think that Kakashi could be taken down by a single Jonin? Have you gone mad, child?**

_What if we had bad information? What if it was like when I was little, Kurama?_

Naruto knows it’s unfair to ask Kurama these things, unfair to seek this comfort, but he can’t help it. Kakashi is a weakness he’ll never rid himself of, and he doesn’t ever want to.

 **Boy, you are the Yondaime’s son,** **_my_ ** **jinchuriki, the most feared ANBU of Konohagakure. Get it together. Your team is coming.**

“--es, but what if they take advantage of the fact that we aren’t in the village, Itachi?! I don’t like this.” Shisui’s arms are crossed, backpack secured on his shoulders, but Itachi walks gracefully, undisturbed.

“I’m sure there’s a reason that you and I are being sent out together, specifically, Shisui.”

Naruto drops to the ground, landing lightly in front of them. “Come. I’ll explain on the way--we don’t have much time.”

The three of them are silent for four hours before Shisui apparently decides he’s had enough and asks what their objective is. Naruto hums, slowing down a little to be even with them. “Ten days ago, Hokage-sama sent ANBU agent Hound on a mission outside of Iwagakure. He was due back three days ago. Hound never misses a deadline by this much, and Hokage-sama fears he’s either badly injured or captured. Our mission is to find Hound and bring him home, he is not a shinobi we can afford to lose.”

“Hai,” Itachi replies, falling into formation once again.


	2. Chapter 2

“How are you holding up?”

It’s rare that Itachi reacts so violently, but when Naruto speaks, the pre-teen’s head whips around hard enough to give a normal kid whiplash. His eyes are telling of his surprise, even if the rest of his face is stoic as ever.

“You’re back, Kitsune?”

He hums, approaching the Uchiha prodigy and leaning against the railing beside him. “I’m sorry I was gone so long. And I’m sorry about your family.”

He’d heard about the arrest of Fugaku and several other family heads the day he got back, but the biggest shock had been when Obito admitted that he was the one who made the arrest. His friend--honestly, Obito was more like a brother to him than anything else--had looked downtrodden, but the look in his eyes said he didn’t regret it.

Naruto can’t imagine the guilt he must feel for betraying members of his family, but he has a gut feeling that Obito saved more of the Uchiha than he turned against.

What a pity when his uncle learns that the reason for his downfall had been a member of his own family.

“Shisui and I were trying to find a peaceful resolution. Danzo-sama wanted the family to be killed. Dolphin apprehended him when he tried to steal one of Shisui’s eyes.” Itachi slumps a little, avoiding Naruto’s gaze. From what Naruto understands, Shisui had destroyed one of his eyes before Danzo could take it, and was about to ruin the other when Obito found them. His own eyes  _ still _ ache when he thinks about it. “I wasn’t even able to help.”

“Itachi.” Naruto turns to him, clasping his hands behind his back. “You’re brilliant. You’re intelligent and powerful, and loyal to the village. Everybody knows it. But you don’t have to be responsible for everything. You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, no matter what  _ anybody _ tells you.”

“But--”

He shakes his head. Naruto doubts that there’s anything he can say to convince Itachi that the fate of the village isn’t in his hands, but he can  _ try _ . “I know you want to help people. I want to help people, too. But I don’t think you should sacrifice your happiness in order to do so.”

Itachi studies him for a long moment, stepping back from the railing to get a better look at him. “You’re one to talk, Kitsune-sama.” He crosses his arms, and this time, his face shows how smug he’s feeling.

Naruto’s starting to think Itachi knows something he shouldn’t.

“After all, the Yondaime’s son is mourned every day throughout Konoha. I’ve heard more than once about the night he disappeared, but nobody actually seems to know what really happened to him.” Itachi drops the smug expression, leaning closer. “But you never left, did you?”

Naruto kind of wants to run away.

He feels exposed and raw, like salt in an open wound. He should have known Itachi would work things out.

_ And here, Kakashi’s smarter than Itachi, but he still hasn’t put the puzzle together… _

“So, have you told anybody what you figured out?”

**I did warn you to be very careful around people, idiot. You never know which details about yourself that people will pick up on.**

Before Naruto can think of a response, Itachi answers. “I discussed my observations with Shisui while he was in the hospital, but he didn’t share my views, so I let it go.” The young Uchiha drops his arms and turns back toward the water below the bridge. “I don’t understand you. You’re unhappy, your family is unhappy, and the whole village thinks you're dead. Why haven’t you come forward?”

_ Why? Lots of reasons, really. To protect the people I love. To stay safe. To gain control of my abilities so that I don’t hurt anybody near me. _

_ I’ve done all these things, though. _

_ But things are going to change if I go home now. And something tells me that it isn’t time, yet. I wish I knew what. _

“The whole story is kind of absurd, really. But… the short version is that somebody close to me sealed the Kyuubi inside me and made me promise that I wouldn’t come home until I could control it and was truly ready. And if you think about it, I haven’t spent much time within the village, not even before I went on my trip. And I can control the Kyuubi, now, but something tells me I’m not ready to return yet. I’ve gotten pretty good at following my gut, so the truth is, while I do want to come home, I don’t think it’s the right time.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Sarutobi-sama, can I ask you something?”

Deer glances at Leopard from the corner of his eye, wondering if this is about what he thinks it is. Leopard shrugs.

“You just got here, Minato-kun. Surely you’d like some tea?” Sandaime-sama smiles, but Shikaku’s never been one to mistake the look in his eye, and he’s not about to start now. Something must be up.

“Sandaime-sama, I think Kushina might be cheating on me.”

Shikaku catches himself just before he takes half a step backward.  _ That’s _ what this meeting is about? Yondaime-sama  _ actually _ thinks his wife…?

And here, he thought maybe they were going to talk about some secret mission or something.

“That is probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard you say, Minato!” Sandaime-sama chews on the end of his pipe, looking over the Fourth with sharp eyes. “You really are a fool. Even your guards will tell you you’re a fool.”

The Yondaime glances back at Deer and Leopard and Shikaku feels the need to nod in agreement. Hopefully he’ll be forgiven. If not, at least he’s not a liar.

But Minato-sama sags like the wind’s been let out of his sails. “I know.” He hasn’t seen his Hokage look quite so dejected in a few years--since maybe Obito returned? Either way, hopefully he’ll actually explain  _ why _ he looks that way. The Hokage can’t really afford to be distracted when they should be worried about the Akatsuki’s movements and the looming possibility of another Shinobi war.

“She’s keeping something from me. It’s not always on her mind, but I can always tell when it is. She’ll go quiet for hours, almost like…” He trails off, leaning back in the chair on the other side of the table from his predecessor. “Do you think…”

“Minato-kun. Perhaps the secret she’s keeping isn’t hers to tell.” Sandaime-sama cocks his head. “Even you would keep something from your wife if somebody asked you to, within reason.”

_ Thank Fire for that. I don’t know what he’ll do when he finds out about Naruto, just as long as he doesn’t take it out on me. After all, I’m sworn to secrecy. _

He thinks he might see Hizashi twitch in relief as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Jiraiya of the sannin has had a busy few years. Between meetings with his contacts from every Hidden Village, and writing two brand new books--though they have yet to be published--, and working with Kitsune of Konoha on developing his abilities, the past few years have been busy indeed. He’s seen a lot of things in his lifetime, and endured a lot of hurts. A  _ lot _ of hurts.

But nothing could have readied him for the message from his former student about his upcoming mission. After all, Jiraiya doesn’t like to fight. He wants peace. He  _ really _ wants peace.

But with the Akatsuki looming, he knows he has a long way to go before he can achieve it.

Which is why he agreed to work with Kitsune and Dolphin to take them down. Why he’d agreed to take Kitsune to Kumo to learn from Killer B, and why he’d agreed to teach the kid Sage Mode.

The years haven’t been easy. From the moment he heard about the Kyuubi’s escape (too late, he’d heard way too late, but that hadn’t stopped him from wanting to help), Jiraiya had been worried about his former student, the Yondaime Hokage. Worse, the letter had carried news of Kushina’s survival, though she was very ill, and the news of his godson’s disappearance.

For a while, he’d spiraled. Minato is his former student, it’s true, but the kid had also grown into the man he considers his closest friend, and Jiraiya struggled with the decision to either go home and support his friend, or to search for the man’s son while he cared for his wife.

In the end, he hadn’t been able to go home and face Minato’s grief. So he’d promised to search.

He’d crossed paths with Sakumo’s son quite often in the first few years while he hunted for any signs of the boy, and the complete misery in his eyes every time they met weighed on Jiraiya’s mind. Eventually, he stopped running into him. He thought that maybe something had happened to the young jonin, maybe he’d gotten reckless and lost his life, or he’d come to the conclusion that he’d rather be dead than suffer another day after his losses.

It was such a relief when he paid Konoha a visit and discovered that Kakashi was actually just taking better care of himself and no longer spiraling.

And, of course, Jiraiya had also run into Kitsune and Dolphin quite a few times. Often because they had the same jobs and chose to work together than take turns completing them. It’s why he’d been willing to help the boy when he hunted Jiraiya down and asked him to help him gain control of his bijuu.

Still, he doesn’t know if three people can handle the entirety of the Akatsuki organization by themselves.

“Ero-sennin!”

_ If I wasn’t so fond of the kid, that would really irritate me. Who goes around calling a ninja of my caliber something as silly as Ero-sennin? _

Kitsune plops into the booth across from him, patting the seat for Dolphin to join them. When Jiraiya glances at him, he realizes Dolphin hasn’t bothered with a mask.

_ Isn’t he… _

“It’s nice to see you again, Jiraiya-sama.”

“Uchiha Obito. You’re Dolphin?”

The last time he’d seen the kid had been right before the Third Shinobi World War, and he’d barely been thirteen. Jiraiya’s finding it hard to believe he’s in his twenties, he looks pretty rough around the edges. The right side of his face is scarred beyond recognition, his left eye is missing, and he looks as tired as Jiraiya feels.

“Yes sir.”

“And you’re unmasked?”

The question is, why had he masked himself in the first place? For Kitsune’s sake? Is there more to this kid than just a bijuu?

“Yes, after Kitsune came to train with you, I returned to the village as myself. Minato-sensei was already aware of my identity by then.”

_ It looks like Team Seven is still cursed. _

“Alright, so fill me in. What  _ is _ the plan, exactly?”

The two of them glance at each other, and Jiraiya’s stomach turns itself over. Is it really that crazy?


End file.
